Why Friends May Be More Important Than Family

According to the latest survey of Journal of Interpersonal Relationships, as age rises, importance to health and welfare is increasing. Indeed, as they are very important, having supportive friendship in old age is considered to predict happiness over healthy family relationships.

The new article explores two findings on interpersonal relationships. Author William Chopik discovered that the relationship between family and friends is generally related to health and well-being. But at an advanced stage, this relationship only applies to people who report strong friendship.

Chopik, associate professor of psychology at Michigan State University said, "I studied the role of friendship." But surprisingly, in many respects, relationships with friends and family relationships have similar effects in other respects. They overturned them. "

For another study, Chopi analyzed a separate study of about 7,500 elderly people in the United States. Here, he discovered that not only having friends is important, but also the quality of these friendships is important.

When people say that their friends are the cause of stress, they report that they have more chronic illness. (Interestingly, this does not apply to those who report stress on spouses and children.) People will be happier when their friends get help.

Chopik stated that all these are not particularly surprising. Ultimately, unlike our family, we can choose our friends. "In some studies, I know that I often spend time with my friends, not my family," he said. "We are relaxing with our friends, and family activities are often very serious, or they may be a bit monotonous."

By then, these friendships have endured the test of time, so the benefits of having close friends can be even stronger for the elderly. "You enclose these people because they make you happy, or at least contribute to your health in some way," Chopik said. "In our lives, we annihilated more superficial friendships and left a truly influential friendship."

But Chopik says that the effects of friendship on physical and mental health are often overlooked, especially in elderly people who are more likely to have a relationship with their spouse or child.

Families usually take care of the elderly, but he says there is the possibility of creating a feeling of duty. Chopik added that these relationships are indeed beneficial and often important. However, they may not be as happy as long-term friends.

Chopik, of course, said that some people can share strong friendship with their brothers, spouses, children and other families - this is also a positive attitude. "In general, more support, more aggressive interactions, better," he said. "It is important that you leave it to the people you depend on, whether it is a good or bad time."

Studies have shown that contacts with family and friends play an important role in the quality of life for elderly people. In fact, according to the results of the aging survey in the United States, being able to keep in touch with family members and friends could be an important factor in avoiding isolation and depression. Lifestyle support can provide the ability to build new connections with individuals while maintaining close relationships with family and friends. Many people are still safe drivers, but as we get older, others feel that we need to help shopping, medical reservations, and move to other destinations. Slow response time and vision problems are statistically related to increased driver mortality for licensed drivers over the age of 65

Many people believe that friends are relatives or even relatives. Those who have lost intimate families can create family units of friends with similar interests and goals to be a substitute or enhancement for the lack of family composition. This type of family unit is not conventional, but it is equivalent even though it is not close to the conventional structure. Friends are selected by individuals; from time to time, these people may be more special or more important than their birth families. In addition, some supporting families also have a wide network of friends who think they are a second family, supplement to their blood or legal relatives.